This is the story of a child whose family was convinced that he was cursed.

From the moment he was born, they tried to see how the curse would reveal itself. Everyone watched him grow up wondering how the curse would show itself. The years passed, the Cursed grew into a strong young man full of promise, but unable to see the blessings that nature had given him. He lived on the fringes of his family and friends, suffering their implicit rejection and knowing that they would do something terrible to him if he turned out to be as cursed as he was supposed to be, and he kept his distance from the other homins, afraid of bringing the same curse upon their heads.

One day, however, as he stood on the edge of an assembly like ours, one of the people present noticed him and smiled. This smile warmed the heart of the Cursed, who had not had many such sincere smiles. Some time later he ran into this person again, who stopped for a moment to talk to him, still with such kindness. The Cursed knew he had to stay away from this person so as not to attract the curse, but her gentleness was so good for him that he began to seek her company. Before he knew it, he was deeply in love.

It was, however, a hopeless love. He could not live it, for fear of his family's reactions. And he soon realized that Mayu, his great love, showed as much kindness and gentleness towards many people. Mayu loved people, but did not love the Cursed as much as he loved her. To be alone on the edge of the world, when that is all you have known, is already terribly sad. But once one has tasted the hope of being two, it becomes unbearable to accept this loneliness.

The Cursed tried to give up on Mayu, but invariably ended up by her side when the opportunity presented itself. If a ragus put Mayu in danger, then the Cursed would come running, put the predator to flight, and raise his love, hiding the depth of his trouble. If Mayu wanted a story, then the Cursed would find a tale, and if Mayu wanted peace, then the Cursed would retreat, weeping over the coldness of his love. The Cursed was jealous of anyone who could get close to Mayu. However, since Mayu loved them, then he tried to love them too. The Cursed was going crazy with this loneliness as well as with this impossible love. Every day he was getting further away from his family. Every day he toyed with the idea of this curse, wondering if it was the key to his deliverance, but at the same time he was afraid to think about it. His family was surveying him, and Mayu ignored him.

Life became so painful for him that he longed for one thing only: that his seed of life would break. Sometimes, however, he wished that it was the seed of life of all the other homins that broke. Even Mayu's. Then the thought horrified him. His madness was getting bigger and bigger. Was it the curse that finally expressed itself or did he have to make real what he had been foretold? He became more and more violent and bitter, until he extinguished every spark of love and sweetness in his heart.

I would like to say that this story had a happy ending, and that a solution was found. But alas...

The Cursed eventually came across a sorcerer with immense powers. This wizard knew many things that were inaccessible to ordinary homins. He could have freed the Cursed from his curse, or made his family more loving, or helped the Cursed to be loved by Mayu. He could have revealed to him the mysteries of Night and Time that would have made these stories futile. But the Cursed didn't believe in any of that, didn't hope for anything. He asked the wizard for the easiest thing in the world for someone like him: something to destroy a seed of life. It may have been easy, but it was also sad, and the wizard tried to divert the Cursed from his purpose by asking him for a price that was far too high. But the Cursed paid the price and swallowed the poison.

The story does not say whether anyone mourned the death of the Cursed. However, the one who told me this story had tears in his eyes. Who knows where these tears came from? When the wind of Anlor Winn blows, take care of your loved ones. Love them fully and unconditionally. There is no better cure for curses.